your ray of sunshine

Vacation time = family time

During this past long weekend, I had the blessing of spending some quality time with a small portion of my already tiny family.

My eldest brother, Kuya Miko, is 13 years older than me. The memories I have growing up rarely have him involved because of our large age gap. When I was just starting school, he was already wrapping up his last year in high school. The age gap and his tendency to separate himself from our parents led to a brother-sister relationship that was just barely there. For the longest time, I felt like I knew nothing about him and vice versa. I loved him, but mostly out of the fact that I knew I had to love my own brother. There was a lack of feeling behind the statement “I love you” when it came to him. At points I felt like he was that random relative I would see during major holidays and would only hold polite conversation with for half an hour once or twice a year. I knew I had him in my life, it just felt like sometimes there wasn’t much of an impact from having him involved at all.

I have noticed that the older I get the easier it becomes to talk to him. I now have reasons behind my mumbled “love you’s” to him and I know a few more things about him than when I was in elementary school. We’ve finally reached this level of connection that I’ve always wanted while growing up, and I couldn’t be happier about it. He has provided so much wisdom for me to listen to and follow, and I’ve genuinely witnessed how much growth there’s been in our relationship with each other.

Over the weekend, we headed down to Southern California with his fiancé, Ate Mariane, and their son, Zeus. From the moment our vacation started to the very end, I noticed just how much the three of them make sense as a little family unit. Due to my Kuya’s tendency to keep to himself more often than less, I never really understood the dynamic he had with his fiancé and son. I was able to witness the amount of care and love they have for each other, and for their son, and it was beautiful to see. They’re a loving family in the midst of our larger family, and I’m content in thought to know that my Kuya Miko will be developing a future with the both of them involved in every aspect.

The time spent at Knott’s Berry Farm, Disneyland, and all of the little Southern California hotspots was a really joyous occasion since I was able to understand these 3 members of my family a lot more than before. I’m grateful for them, and I know that no matter what the future holds, at least I have these goofy, loving family members involved throughout everything.